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start cooking more meals with beans etc...so that she still gets the vitamins protein etc she needs. as far as forcing her to eat meat, she'll either grow out of the not liking meat or become a vegetarian, i decided to be a vegetarian once at that age, until my mom made tacos for dinner one night and a can of beans for me, and yes it was her sneaky way of getting me to eat meat, but it worked. if she's stuck on it though than just do what you can to humor it for awhile.

I suppose that I would just talk to a nutritionist to learn how to provide proper nutrition without meat. I know many vegetarians get really sick when they first give up meat because of the shock to their system. You'll have to ensure that she gets enough protein, but I would just go with it. If she doesn't want to eat meat, I wouldn't try to make her.

Support her decision by making her other meal options or by teaching her how to cook simple yet nutritious meals that will be good for her but that don't include meat. Don't insist that she eat meat if she doesn't want to.

That is very common at her age. She may have learned something in health or biology that didn't sit well with her. I have known many girls that age who went through that. Support her. She may decide to start eating meat again...as soon as she misses pepperoni or hamburgers. :)

I think this is common. My now 18 yr old is doing the same thing. She won't eat steak when we grill etc. She will have a burger or dog here and there but that is about all. I push the peanut butter and beans, tuna, anything with a good source of protein. It will either pass or she will be a vegetarian...she could make worse choices in life. I would not worry about it too much, as long as her doc says she is healthy.

That's about the age my DD went vegetarian. Inform yourself and her on how to make smart choices when it come to her foods. My DD is now all but vegan, the only thing that stops her is she likes cheese. Other then that she ets no meat products including gelatin. Support her and inform yourselves.

Nothing, just make sure she is getting her protein and other nutrients from different sources. A person doesn't need to eat meat to be healthy. Get a cookbook for vegetarians and have your daughter help shop for and make nonmeat foods.

She may lead your family down a path to better health for all of you and the planet.
There are tons of great resources out there, here are a couple of links that I like:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/teen_veg.pdf
http://www.pcrm.org/news/release090402.html
http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_infant_nutrition/complete_nutrition.html
http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_infant_nutrition/index.html
http://www.pcrm. org/health/ veginfo/vsk/ food_groups. html
http://www.pcrm. org/health/ veginfo/vsk/ children. html
I strongly recommend the book The China Study by T. Colin Campbell for your MIL; it makes a strong nutritional argument for vegetarianism. you should be able to find it at your local library.
I initially stopped eating meat when I was a senior in high school. I was doing a report on work hunger, and learned how meat is an incredibly inefficient delivery system for cont

nutrition. Now, I also know that meat production is bad for the planet and bad for our health.
Being vegetarian not about what I don't eat, it is about what I do eat. When asked how I get nutrition by not eating meat, I respond by asking how meat eaters get nutrition by eating meat. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is overloaded with protein, fat, sodium, etc.; and is "underloaded" with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. By the time I eat my recommended 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables (in at least 3 different colors), 6 servings of whole grains and two servings of legumes, and one serving of chocolate, I could not possibly make room for meat.
I belong to a yahoogroup for parents of vegetarians; I would be happy to send you an invitation.
There are lots of great vegetarian cookbooks at your local library; I would start with Pretend Soup, it is a kids cookbook from the Moosewood people.
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